Pretender
by TheRealRenee
Summary: // Chapter 4 now up \\ There's trouble brewing in the WWE, and it's all being caused by one person. Dawn Marie, Sean O'Haire, Torrie, Lita, Edge, Test, Stacy, Hurricane, Jericho, others ?
1. Chapter 1

As she stood before the vanity in the divas' locker room, applying bright pink lipstick, a broad grin spread across the young woman's face.

She combed out some strands of her long blonde hair with the fingers of her left hand - as she was left-handed - then turned her head to one side to examine her 'do.

_Not bad_... she thought. _Not bad at all_...

She ignored the chattering banter of the other divas in the room, as it pretty much annoyed her for the most part, anyway. She didn't particularly care about Ivory's trip back to San Francisco to visit her aging mother - the brunette was yakking it up to Jacqueline, Molly Holly and Lilian Garcia in one corner. On the other side of the room, Jazz was discussing match strategy with Victoria, her opponent for the night's SmackDown. A few feet away from her, Trish Stratus and Dawn Marie were talking about the in-ring training the little blonde had been giving the other woman for the last few weeks. Another boring conversation.

The one topic of discussion that the diva found of _great _interest, however, was actually taking place right beside her, here at the vanity mirror. Stacy Keibler and Lita were involved in a deep discussion about their upcoming dates for the evening, which would happen after the taping.

The blonde looked up with annoyance when the door suddenly opened, and Terri Runnels bounded in. The tiny blonde had her cell phone in one hand, and she shook her head in frustration and worry as she placed it back into her bag.

"How's Dakota?" Molly, who was one of Terri's best friends, asked as she approached.

"No better," the petite diva replied, then sighed. "Mom said she's not throwing up anymore, but she still has a fever of 102..."

"Aww...poor thing," the brunette said, sympathy running through her at the thought of her friend's sweet eight-year-old daughter sick with a stomach virus. "But she's in good hands with your mom, I'm sure."

"She _is_," Terri concurred, but the look of sheer concern in her blue eyes didn't diminish one iota. "I just wish I could go home to be with her, you know?" She raised a hand, biting on one perfectly-manicured nail in her nervousness. "I wonder if Mr. McMahon would allow me time off?"

"Well, it's worth asking," Molly offered. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

"Thanks, sweetie..." With that, Terri reached out and hugged the brunette diva close.

The woman at the vanity had to refrain from rolling her eyes - or, even worse, puking, like Terri's daughter had been doing for the last three days. She didn't like such scenes as this - at least not with women. She didn't really have what one could call a sisterly bond with anyone. Seeing as she'd grown up with four brothers, that was natural. Well, she and Stacy had been sort of close for awhile a couple of years back, but since their working together in the WWE had ceased, they'd drifted a little. Besides, she'd never really felt that bond with the leggy blonde that Terri and Molly had - or that all the other divas seemed to have with one another.

She thought about the relationships between all the other women. Lita was particularly close with Trish Stratus, but she was also great friends with Stacy, Molly and Dawn Marie. Ivory and Jackie were best friends and had been for years now. Jazz and Victoria had become fast friends. Nidia and Dawn Marie were pretty close. Lilian was friends with all the other divas. Even Stephanie McMahon, who could be a bit standoffish, like her father, was friends with Trish and Lita in particular. But _she_ had never felt anything of the like such as what the others had.

She wondered if any of the past divas in the company - Chyna, Tori, Debra, Kat - had ever experienced this. Actually, she'd heard from the divas who'd been around when those three had that Chyna had been much liked and respected. The other women had found her a warm friend and trusted confidante. Debra had pretty much been the same, and several divas often remarked about what a shame it was what had happened with the bosomy blonde and her ex-husband, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Tori had been somewhat of an enigma to the other divas, but she'd always been spoken of in high regard.

The blonde decided that the one past diva she could most closely relate to was the Kat - the little blonde had never really gotten close with anyone else - not even Terri, with whom she'd feuded the longest and the most. And, now that she remembered, she'd heard the little She-Devil refer to Kat as a bitch on one occasion - so, in that regard, she had even _more _in common with the former diva.

"Hey, Torrie," Nidia called to her as she stood up from where she'd been sitting across the room, "ready for our match?"

Torrie Wilson reluctantly shifted her blue eyes from her reflection in the mirror to the petite brunette's smiling face. "You bet, Nid..."

A slow, yet somewhat devious grin spread across the tall blonde's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Thanks to MarTW for reviewing the first chapter - at last! :) I was beginning to worry this story would sadly go unnoticed. sniff I am trying to get back into updating this one, so hopefully I'll get more ideas!_**

Stacy Keibler ran her hand through her hair as she sat quietly in the women's locker room, her mind about a million miles away as she was consumed by thoughts of a certain other blonde.

"Stacy?"

The leggy young diva looked up at the sound of Lita's voice and offered her friend a tiny, weak smile.

The redhead sat down on the small black leather loveseat beside the younger woman. "What's wrong?"

Stacy pointed to the TV monitor positioned several feet ahead of where they were seated.

Lita followed her friend's forefinger and gaze to the screen, where Torrie Wilson and Nidia were in the squared circle in the middle of their contest.

"It seems so unfair that Torrie always gets pushed over Nidia and Dawn Marie," the tall blonde said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I mean, Nidia trained and won on _Tough Enough_! And Dawn's pretty good - certainly better than Torrie. If any one of us," she continued, meaning the divas who were either new at actual wrestling or those who didn't really know how - such as herself - "has the potential to become as good as you, Molly, Jackie, Trish, Ivory or Jazz, it's Dawn."

"I know what you mean," Lita said, and she sighed. "I also know how you feel. Just imagine how Dawn Marie and Nidia feel..."

"Oh, I know..." Stacy glanced around the room, as some of the other divas were still present. She leaned toward the redhead and reduced her voice to a whisper. "The other day, I got to the arena early for the house show and found Dawn alone in the locker room - crying."

Lita's hazel eyes filled with concern for her brunette friend. "You did?" She wondered about that and about why Dawn Marie hadn't gone to her to talk. They'd been close friends since their ECW days, which dated back four years earlier. Normally, when something was troubling her, the brunette would seek her out.

Stacy nodded. "I asked her what was wrong, and she said she was tired of the way the company has been handling her character. She said she came here to _wrestle_, not to be forced to compete with anyone else in a skin contest - especially not with a woman whose biggest priority in life is baring her T&A for the world to see..."

The redhead arched a brow and nodded knowingly. That _did _sound like something Dawn Marie would say, although the brunette was far to nice to ever verbalize it to Torrie herself - or to Vince McMahon or anyone else in charge.

"I don't understand it..." Stacy was saying, her brown eyes again focused on the TV screen. She shook her head. "Just a couple of years ago, she was always saying she would never, ever pose for _Playboy_, and yet she _did_." She sighed and looked back at the redhead, her expression sad. "She used to be different...I considered her my best friend back in WCW - she made me feel welcome when no one else really would. She just _changed _so much," the blonde said miserably.

_Or maybe she never 'changed' at all_, Lita thought. _Maybe she was always the shallow, cold person she is, but you were just too kind and trusting to see it_. Truthfully, the redhead had never really been particularly fond of Torrie Wilson. She'd always thought there was such an obvious superficiality to the platinum blonde, one that lay beneath the surface of a _very _thin veneer. Stacy, on the other hand, was very young and had such an innocence about her. The leggy blonde was the type of person who saw the good in everyone, no matter what.

Aloud, the redheaded woman said, "Well, that sometimes happens, Stace - at least where some people are concerned." As Lita saw it, Torrie had never really been all that warm toward her or any of the other divas, for that matter - but she'd gotten worse ever since the whole _Playboy_ thing had begun back in February. The only diva she was really friendly toward was Stephanie, but that was really more kissing ass than anything else, because, after all, the brunette _was _the boss' daughter.

"I know..." Stacy said softly. "It...well, usually I don't let it bother me, but sometimes I find myself longing for the days when we were close."

"I understand..." Lita placed a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder, and then shifted her gaze to the monitor. "Ouch!" she cried as they witnessed the frightful Tornado DDT Torrie executed on Nidia. Jeez, the blonde diva could really hurt someone - because, to the redhead's trained eye, she'd done the maneuver very sloppily and even carelessly. Nidia would be lucky not to be injured.

"I just wonder when they're going to put _me _in a match against her?" Stacy murmured. "And knowing _my _luck, I'd probably end up with a broken neck." She wrinkled her nose in distaste and horror.

Lita eyed Torrie Wilson on the TV screen, wondering the exact same thing about herself. On top of that, she couldn't help but wonder about something from a little earlier...

When she and Stacy had been talking at vanity, Torrie had been standing by them, also in front of the mirror. She hadn't contributed to or interfered in Stacy's and her conversation, but the redhead swore she'd detected something odd and unsettling in her silence.

At the time, she'd kind of just pushed it to the back of her mind, but now, after her discussion with Stacy, she knew she'd been correct in her suspicions.

Torrie had been trying very hard at not displaying hostility toward the other divas on her face - but she'd failed miserably.


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn Marie sulked in the rental car in the passenger's seat as Lita, Stacy and Trish talked.

The redhead was behind the wheel, the two blondes in the backseat, and Stacy kept sitting forward to lean closer to Lita while they talked. It was a habit that would normally make the brunette nervous, as, after all, she was from New Jersey - a state that had strict seatbelt laws - but she believed in using them regardless, for safety. However, she was so distracted that she barely even noticed.

"Hey, Dawn...Are you all right?" Lita asked as she briefly took her eyes off the road to regard her friend.

Dawn Marie sighed and ran a hand through her chestnut curls. She was _not _all right. In fact, she was quite upset. On her way to the arena that evening, she'd rode with her boyfriend, Test - so it was only natural when she'd assumed she'd be riding back with him as well.

"Actually...No, no I'm not."

Stacy glanced into the rearview mirror, briefly meeting the redhead's eyes upon those words.

"Oh, Dawnie, what's wrong?" Trish asked softly, reaching across the seat with one hand to lay it gently on the other woman's shoulder.

"I...Damn it," the brunette swore. She'd told her three friends about Test being unable to ride back with her, but that was it. "I think Test may be cheating on me," she blurted. That nearly set her off, but somehow, the diva managed to hold back the tears.

"My God!" Stacy exclaimed, her face full of shock. "I thought it was just..." She allowed her voice to trail off.

"You really think he's being unfaithful?" Lita asked.

"I do..." Dawn Marie replied sadly. "And I think I have good reason to think that... What would _you _think if your boyfriend didn't return to the hotel room you were sharing for three consecutive nights?"

"That crumb!" Trish cried, her face furious. "I know way back when I managed him and Albert that he was a creep..."

"Not now, Trish..." the leggy blonde beside her said. She was afraid that the Canadian might say something a little too rough and send the brunette to weeping.

"You need to confront him," Lita broke in, and Dawn looked up sadly to meet her hazel eyes, which were full of friendly, perhaps even sisterly, concern. "If you really believe he's cheating, you have to confront him. Just don't do it in a manner where he'll feel like he's being attacked..."

Dawn Marie nodded, her throat tightening uncomfortably as she continued to fight against just breaking down and crying.

"I honestly think he's screwing some ring rat," she admitted. "And you know what? I should and _will _take your advice, Lita - only I _will _attack him - because I have proof!"

"What do you mean?" Trish asked. "Have you actually seen them? Caught them in the act?"

Stacy winced at the little blonde's bluntness, not knowing how it was that Dawn had still not yet broken down. If she were in the brunette's shoes, she knew she'd be a blubbering wreck by now.

"I found another woman's thong on the floor beside our hotel room bed the other night!" Dawn cried. "A flimsy lacy one - she must be as cheap as her taste in lingerie!" At the end of that sentence, she finally gave in to her tears, bowing her head and pressing a hand to her mouth as she wept.

Stacy leaned forward again, placing one hand into the other woman's hair. She then pressed her cheek against Dawn Marie's in a makeshift hug.

"Oh, Dawn...I'm so sorry..."

Lita reached across the seat and grabbed her friend's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She knew all too well the pain the brunette was experiencing. The same had happened to _her_ with her ex, Matt Hardy.

"I know it's hard and it sucks, Dawnie...and I know you won't be feeling better for awhile, but...Well, you can always count on us..."

Dawn Marie raised her head to look into the redhead's eyes before turning to meet Stacy's and then Trish's gazes. As more tears came, the brunette was too choked up to speak. Stacy leaned forward again to give her another makeshift embrace.

Dawn Marie was feeling miserable. Yet, at the same time, she was grateful for her three best friends, who were more dear than she could even say...


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Not sure if anybody's even reading this story, but oh well. I've decided I'm still going to post it, regardless. It's one of my O'Haire stories, and those are very near and dear to my heart, so I HAVE to._**

Sean O'Haire sat down at a small empty table in the hotel's cafe and was grateful when a waitress approached him immediately, handing him a menu.

It had been a long night and he was famished. He'd battled through a difficult match with Batista on RAW earlier and hadn't gotten the chance to eat beforehand.

Sean had already made a decision as to what to eat and had ordered when he suddenly spotted a figure in his peripheral vision...

The dark-haired man turned his head slightly in the direction of the entrance. Dawn Marie... The beautiful brunette had just stepped into the cafe - alone, to Sean's surprise.

As he continued to watch her in a way he hoped was not too obvious, the young woman sat down at a small table nearby. The same waitress that had taken his order handed her a menu, and Dawn appeared to be distracted a moment later as she flipped through it - sort of like she wasn't really reading it.

Sure enough, O'Haire's suspicions were confirmed when, a moment later, the brunette ordered just a cup of herbal tea.

The cafe was empty of diners except for Dawn Marie, O'Haire and a couple seated several tables away. It was pretty quiet in the place. Quiet enough that Sean was able to detect some soft sighs coming from the beautiful woman near him.

"Hey..." he called in a gently voice. He wanted to remain low-key, as he sensed the diva was upset about something. He wondered if it had anything to do with her boyfriend, who was surprisingly absent. Sean thought that if _he _had this amazing woman in his life, he would never let her out of his sight...

And jeez, didn't _he _sound like quite the stalker...

Dawn Marie looked up abruptly, her lips parted in surprise, brown eyes slightly widened.

"Oh...hi, Sean," she said sheepishly. "Sorry...I've just got a lot on my mind - that's why I didn't say hello..." The brunette shut her mouth and glanced away. She knew she was babbling, which was something she customarily did when she was nervous. Likewise, she felt her face burning and knew she was blushing. The man at the next table must think her a huge idiot by now...

"Hey, no problem," Sean replied as he offered her a smile. "I just wanted to know if you would join me..."

Dawn Marie turned her head back in his direction, a feeling of surprise coursing through her at the man's words. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Um..." The diva considered the invitation, not knowing if she should join O'Haire. On one hand, she would no longer be all alone if she moved over to his table. On the other, if Test was to suddenly walk into this cafe, he'd be furious, as he was very jealous by nature - he might even start a fight with Sean. But that was ridiculous. Dawn knew Test wouldn't be stepping foot into this place - same as he wouldn't be returning to their hotel room at all that night.

Her mind made up, the brunette picked up her tea and moved over to Sean's table. As she sat down across from the man, she didn't miss the warm smile he offered her. Although she appreciated and even _liked _the attention, it made her feel uncomfortable. For awhile now, Dawn Marie had actually been craving the attentions of a man - not just _any _man, but attention from someone as exceptionally handsome as Sean O'Haire would definitely be welcome. And that scared her.

She hated the way she was currently feeling - so desperate... And lonely. She was certain Test was cheating and had been doing so for the past couple of months. As she'd told Lita, Stacy and Trish earlier that night, she _would _confront him on it. The only question was when...

"Are you all right?" O'Haire asked. He cocked his head a bit to one side as he regarded her with concern.

"Yeah...fine," Dawn lied. She forced a smile for his benefit.

Sean nodded and didn't reply. He knew something was up with this woman - and he intended to find out what...


End file.
